economics

K Athlete Flexes Liberal Arts Muscle in NBA Internship

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For Amanda Moss ’19, the route to her prestigious internship this summer at National Basketball Association (NBA) headquarters in New York City began, improbably, with getting kicked out of a gym.

Amanda Moss Attending NBA Draft through her NBA Internship
Economics and business major Amanda Moss applied for a highly competitive NBA internship and was one of 50 students chosen from a pool of 6,000.

She says that while she was a basketball player in high school, she went to the community gym in her Detroit suburb daily during the summer to practice her jump shot. One day, however, an employee of the Detroit Pistons NBA team told her she would have to leave because the courts were reserved for a team-run youth basketball program.

“I started to pack up but then I looked around and saw they were way understaffed for the event they were going to hold,” she recalls. “So I went back up to the guy and I offered my assistance. He took me up on the offer and I helped set up chairs, run the scoreboard, that sort of thing, and helped to clean up when it was over.”

After the event, she says, the employee chatted with her and ended up offering her a summer job at the Pistons’ youth basketball camp.

Amanda Moss Playing Basketball NBA Internship
Amanda Moss, who plays on Kalamazoo College’s women’s basketball team, is working in an NBA internship this summer.

“I did that every summer for four years,” says Moss, who plays women’s basketball and lacrosse and was just named to the Jewish Sports Review Women’s College Lacrosse All-America Team for the second year in a row.

Along the way, she got to meet Pistons players including Andre Drummond and Reggie Jackson and people in the team’s corporate office. So when it came time to seek an internship in summer 2017, she was well-situated to apply to the Pistons. She worked in community relations and marketing for the team, conceiving a career forum for girls 9 to 16 and then running every aspect of the event, which included presenting a panel of college basketball players and women business leaders.

That, in turn, set her up for this summer’s internship. With the help of K’s Center for Career and Professional Development and with advice from her professors, the economics and business major applied for the highly competitive program and was one of 50 students chosen from a pool of 6,000. She’s working in the retail division of the NBA’s Global Partnerships Department, which manages all aspects of the league’s relationship with companies including Nike, New Era, Foot Locker and Amazon.

That relationship includes activities such as licensing the sale of NBA-branded merchandise, arranging for advertising on NBA TV, approving the use of the NBA logo in social media messages and arranging player appearances at partner businesses, she says. Her role has been mainly in research. One assignment tasked her with finding out everything she could about how the NBA could work with Target Corp., and she says she discovered a natural fit in both organizations’ emphasis on supporting community voluntarism—a synergy around which her boss now is building a partnership program.

She says her K education has given her a real advantage in her role, especially a business research methods course that prepares students for their Senior Individualized Project (SIP). Business and economics professor Timothy Moffit ’80 put a heavy emphasis on identifying information sources in research papers, so in a PowerPoint presentation to NBA professionals, she says, she included a final slide listing all of her sources—about 30, and many of them recognizable names.

She says it helped cement the credibility and validity of her proposal. “They were really impressed. It’s not something that they were expecting.”

A Chinese minor who studied abroad in China during the 2017-18 school year, Moss also has had a chance to use her language skills, aiding her boss in a conference call with the NBA office in China, she says. And content- and video-editing skills she learned in a documentary filmmaking course have turned out to be in high demand, as well.

“Every day is a new day at the league,” she says. “You have to be very multidimensional. Part of the Kalamazoo College liberal arts experience is being able to study multiple subjects because the K-Plan is so flexible.”

With the experience gained in her internships, and a planned SIP contrasting consumer perceptions of professional sports in the United States and China, she hopes to land a corporate job in international sports after graduation. Her ultimate goal—“really just a dream” at this point, she says—would be to start a nonprofit venture that uses sports to connect with and empower Chinese girls.

“I was adopted from China, and when I went to my study abroad in China, I got to volunteer coach in some of the schools, and there was a huge absence of girls in all of the basketball programs,” she says, adding that Chinese girls get little encouragement to participate in team sports in general.

In another effort to help people achieve their goals, she is teaming with fellow Kalamazoo College athletes Alex Dupree ’21 and Jordan Wiley ’19 to form a sports business club for K students that will aid them in charting their way to careers in sports-oriented businesses and link them with alumni in the field.

Her effort to create what she calls “new channels and opportunities” for her classmates echoes what she says is her goal on the lacrosse field and basketball court: “to play for my teammates and make great memories.”

Moss’ enthusiasm and cooperative yet competitive spirit wins high praise from K physical education professor and coach Jeanne Hess.

“Amanda is one of the most committed players and teammates I’ve seen come through Kalamazoo College,” Hess says. “She plays with passion and ferocity and she’s fun to watch. She’s going to do great things.”

Baseball Player Makes a Surprise Proposal

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It was always going to happen.

Connor Grant ’18 and Kelsey Corless had known each other since seventh grade in Lake Orion, Michigan. They were high school sweethearts. And though he went to Kalamazoo College while she attended Grand Valley State University, they remained committed to one another.

Connor Grant on one knee in front of Kelsey Corless for surprise proposal
Connor Grant ’18 gave Kelsey Corless a surprise proposal last weekend during a Senior Day doubleheader at Kalamazoo College’s Woodworth Field.

“We talked about it and she knew something like this was coming,” Grant, a first baseman for Kalamazoo College’s baseball team, said of his engagement to Corless.

The inevitable, however, didn’t have to be predictable. Grant wanted to make sure his proposal was a special — and very memorable — moment.

So before last weekend’s Senior Day doubleheader at K’s Woodworth Field, he went to Head Baseball Coach Michael Ott and asked for permission to carry out a secret plan. It was crafted to make sure that when he made his proposal, not only Corless but both their families would be there and that she would have no clue as to what was about to happen.

Grant’s plan revolved around the Senior Day ceremony, which takes place during the break between games. The graduating players line up along the third base line, then are called one by one with their families and friends to home plate, where they receive a bat engraved with their name and position. Grant, the team captain, deliberately asked to be called last so as not to overshadow his fellow senior players and he made sure he had their assent.

He also arranged it so that when his roommate, catcher Alex Fultz ’18, presented him with the bat, he would slip him the ring, as well. The announcer would then set up the moment, saying, “This is more than a Senior Day …”

Grant’s proposal to get hitched went without a hitch, and the appropriately stunned bride-to-be said yes. And both of their families got to witness the engagement, as planned.

“I had a nervous day leading up to it,” Grant said. “But other than that, it went perfect.”

For the crowd, one of the biggest of the season, it was an unexpected treat.

“Their reaction was amazing,” Grant said. “People were ecstatic for us. All the seniors’ families were there and got to be a part of it.”

“I think there were some people wiping away tears,” said Ott, adding that the opposing team joined in the cheers and applause.

The wedding date has yet to be set, but Grant said he expects it to occur sometime next summer, after he and Corless get settled in to post-college life. Corless last month received her degree from Grand Valley in management information systems, and Grant, a business and economics major who graduates June 17, is set to start work this summer as a mortgage banker with Quicken Loans in Detroit.

Ott said the proposal “was a really cool moment” for the baseball program, and “definitely a first.”

It capped a weekend when the Hornets finished their season with a sweep of Olivet College, making it even better. And despite his nervousness, Ott said, Grant drove in four runs in the afternoon’s first game.

For Grant and Corless, Ott said, “I’m sure it’s something they’re going to remember.”

He said it was also a reminder for Grant’s graduating teammates that, although their collegiate athletic careers are coming to an end, their lives—like Grant and Corless’ together—are just getting started.

“I think it was a moment that was a little bit bigger than baseball,” Ott said. “It provided some perspective about what’s really important.”

He said he was proud to have been able to make the surprise proposal possible for Grant, who is fourth on the list of Hornets baseball players for most games played.

“I just love the kid,” he said.

Grant said being at a school like K allowed him to forge a strong relationship with his coaches and fellow players so he could share his big moment with them.

“That’s what made it possible,” he said.

Award Recognizes Stull’s Love of Teaching

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Ask students what they admire about Kalamazoo College economics and business Senior Instructor Chuck Stull and they’ll tell you he’s always there when they need his help and advice. So it should come as no surprise that being able to mentor students is one of the main things Stull enjoys about teaching.

Scenic photo of Lucasse teaching honoree Chuck Stull
Senior Instructor Chuck Stull will be honored with the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching in a ceremony at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the Olmsted Room.

“I just love the interaction with students,” said Stull, who will be honored with the Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching in a ceremony at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, in the Olmsted Room. “When a student is struggling with something and I can help, it’s immensely satisfying.”

Stull joined K’s Economics and Business Department in 1996. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He is an avid traveler, spending his most recent sabbatical, during the 2014-15 school year, in England and Spain, and visiting South Africa in 2016. He has also traveled to Turkey, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico, and keeps in his office a collection of Frosted Flakes boxes in many languages, reflecting his many journeys and his sense of humor, something else his students enjoy.

As the name implies, the Lucasse lectureship involves giving a lecture. Stull said he is still working out the topic for his talk.

“I guess it’ll be a surprise,” he said. “I hope it’s not a surprise for me.”

The Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship (for outstanding classroom teaching) and Fellowship (for outstanding achievement in creative work, research or publication) at Kalamazoo College were established in 1979, and Stull is the 30th recipient of the lectureship. The awards were created to honor Florence J. Lucasse, a 1910 alumna, in recognition of her long and distinguished career and in response to the major unrestricted endowment gift given to the College in her will.

K Student Wins Alpha Lambda Delta Graduate Fellowship

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Alpha Lambda Delta, the National Honor Society for top first-year students, is awarding Kalamazoo College’s Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia ’18 a Dr. Helen Clarke Graduate Fellowship to continue his studies next school year.

Alpha Lambda Delta Honoree Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia is receiving one of 26 Alpha Lambda Delta Graduate Fellowships awarded annually for graduate study.

The $3,000 grant will help defray Dominguez-Garcia’s expenses as he seeks an advanced degree in public policy. Admitted to Alpha Lambda Delta in 2015, he is studying philosophy and economics at K.

His many activities at K have included playing on the men’s tennis team, K to the Big Apple, Launch into Leadership and serving as a consultant at the College’s Writing Center and as a class agent for the Class of 2018. Born in Madrid, Spain, he grew up in China, Thailand and South Africa, and now calls Bethesda, Maryland, home. He is fluent in Mandarin, French, Spanish and English.

The grant he is receiving is one of 26 awarded annually for graduate study. It is named for the 10th national president of Alpha Lambda Theta, who served from 1979 to 1982.

Founded in 1924, Alpha Lambda Delta has a presence on over 275 campuses nationwide.

K Students Win Scholarship for Business Plan Addressing Pay to Play

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Two Kalamazoo College juniors have won a scholarship for their innovative plan to use a business approach to address an economic inequity. The issue, called pay to play, is a growing concern as low- and even middle-income families find they can’t afford the sometimes hefty fees required for their children to participate in youth athletic leagues.

R.J. Goodloe ’19 says he learned about pay to play while in high school in relatively affluent Laguna Hills, California. He says his father, president of a youth basketball league there, often had to deal with requests for forbearance or help on fees.

Scholarship Winners for Pay to Play plan stand outside the Hicks Student Center
Zach VanFaussien (left) and R.J. Goodloe, both ’19, are recipients of the Michigan Colleges Alliance Independent Innovators Network Scholarship for their plan to create a business that would help address the problem of inequities in youth sports participation caused by “pay to play.” Each will get $2,500, while Senior Economics Instructor Chuck Stull, who advised them, will receive $500.

In a city where median family income tops $100,000, Goodloe, a 3/2 engineering major who played football in his first year at Kalamazoo College, says learning that families couldn’t afford the cost of having their children play organized sports “kind of blew me away.”

“Somewhere along the way we introduced this idea of pay to play in youth sports,” says Goodloe. “It was not accessible to all. A lot of my character came from playing youth sports. I didn’t like the idea that someone might not get that opportunity because they couldn’t afford it.”

So during the fall 2017 term, he teamed with close friend and roommate Zachary VanFaussien ’19, a business and economics major and a Hornets quarterback, to draw up a business plan for a nonprofit that would address the problem. As VanFaussien describes it, the company “would be a sustainable crowd-funding site for youth sports to eliminate pay-to-play.”

Responding to a message from K’s Center for Career and Professional Development, they submitted their plan to the Michigan Colleges Alliance Independent Innovators Network Scholarships program and were awarded a scholarship worth $2,500 apiece. Chuck Stull, senior instructor of economics and business, who advised them on the plan, will receive $500.

Though Goodloe says he had been thinking about the issue for several years, it was at K that he and VanFaussien developed the skills to address a social justice initiative to a solid business plan, the sort of “out-of-the-box” thinking, in Goodloe’s words, that characterizes K’s approach to the liberal arts.

“Going to a smaller, private school, you get a lot of faculty attention that you wouldn’t normally get at a larger college or university,” he says. “I think having personal relationships with faculty is a key to my success.”

“Being named an Independent Innovator confirms that I made the right decision in choosing a college,” says VanFaussien. “It truly shows the importance of innovation and following your own path.”

His and Goodloe’s entry was one of six to net the scholarships. Any student attending one of the 14 member colleges and universities of the Michigan Colleges Alliance, including K, can apply.

MCA board members, scholarship donors, and representatives from partner entrepreneurial organizations across the state — including Steelcase, Ford Motor Co., PVS Chemicals and ASG Renaissance — reviewed the entries.

“This is our third round for the scholarships,” says MCA President Robert Bartlett. “We’ve seen a lot of ideas around sports, but Zachary and Robert applied this strategy to a real need in many communities. It has great potential.”

Goodloe says that while the scholarship is earmarked for his and VanFaussien’s tuition, he hopes they can apply the money they save to making their plan a reality.

The pair aren’t the first K students to win the scholarship. In fall 2017, Mansi Dahal ’20 won for her plan to open a small clothing manufacturing business that employs women who have been physically, verbally and sexually abused.

For more information on the Michigan Colleges Alliance and the scholarships it offers, visit michigancolleges.org.

Career Summit Featured Speaker: Mike Soenen ’92

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Mike Soenen ’92

Partner, Valor Equity Partners

Mike Soenen
Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams.

Mike Soenen ’92 joined Valor in 2015 and serves as a co-head of its operations group, focusing on active management of portfolio companies in conjunction with existing management teams. His additional responsibilities include investment prospect generation, investment structuring and execution and due diligence of potential acquisitions. Mike serves as a member of Valor’s Investment Committee and as a director of Manduka, one of Valor’s portfolio companies.

Before joining Valor, Mike served as a senior advisor and co-investor in numerous private-equity transactions. Previously, Mike served as chairman, chief executive officer and president of FTD Group Inc., a leading provider of floral and specialty gift products. FTD Group Inc. was a private-equity transaction led by Leonard Green & Partners.

Mike previously held positions as president and chief operating officer of FTD Inc., president and CEO of FTD.com, and vice president of marketing of FTD Inc. Before FTD Inc., Mike worked at Perry Capital LLC and Salomon Brothers Inc. Mike also served on the Board of Directors of Rewards Network Inc., Youbet.com and OptionsXpress.

He currently serves on the board of All Weather Inc. and Motorsport Aftermarket Group. In 2011, he was named a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Mike holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and business from Kalamazoo College.

Mike is scheduled to speak during the following sessions of Career Summit 2018:

  • Dinner and Opening Plenary, 6 p.m. April 6
  • Start-Up 101: From Dream to Successful Venture, 10 a.m. April 7
  • Building a Company: How Founders Launch and Grow Companies, 10:45 a.m. April 7
  • Mentoring Matters: What You Gain from Trusted Advisers, 11:30 a.m. April 7
  • Charting Your Course: How to Make the Most of the Career Summit, 1:30 p.m. April 7

Other Scheduled Speakers

College Celebrates Honors Day

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Kalamazoo College Family Weekend served as the backdrop for the College’s annual Honors Day convocation. More than 250 students were recognized Friday, Oct. 27, for excellence in academics and leadership in six divisions: Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Social Sciences and Physical Education. Recipients of prestigious scholarships were recognized, as were members of national honor societies and students who received special Kalamazoo College awards. Student athletes and teams who won Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association awards also were honored. The students receiving Honors Day awards or recognition are listed below.

Honors Day
The Honors Day Convocation, conducted Oct. 27 at Stetson Chapel, celebrated the achievements of more than 250 Kalamazoo College students.

FINE ARTS DIVISION

The Brian Gougeon Prize in Art
Hannah Rainaldi

The Margaret Upton Prize in Music
Joshua Gibson
Jenna Sherman

Cooper Award
Kate Kreiss

Sherwood Prize
Cody Colvin

Theatre Arts First-Year Student Award
Sophia Hill
Alysia Homminga

FOREIGN LANGUAGES DIVISION

LeGrand Copley Prize in French
Valentina Cordero
Ravi Nair

Hardy Fuchs Award
Matthew Flotemersch

Margo Light Award
Annarosa Whitman

Romance Languages Department Prize in Spanish
Joshua Gibson
Kevin McCarty

Clara H. Buckley Prize for Excellence in Latin
Mara Hazen

Provost’s Prize in Classics
Clayton Meldrum

HUMANITIES DIVISION

O.M. Allen Prize in English
Paige Coffing

John B. Wickstrom Prize in History
Riya Bhuyan

Department of Philosophy Prize
Lee Carter
Emiline Chipman

L.J. and Eva (“Gibbie”) Hemmes Memorial Prize in Philosophy
Rosella LoChirco

NATURAL SCIENCES AND MATHEMATICS DIVISION

Winifred Peake Jones Prize in Biology
Brigette Berke
Amelia Davis
Dominic Gonzalez

Department of Chemistry Prize
Kevin McCarty

First-Year Chemistry Award
Kristen Amyx-Sherer
Alyssa Heitkamp

Lemuel F. Smith Award
Maria Fujii

Computer Science Prize
Fabien Debies
Zoe Larson
Danielle Sarafian

First-Year Mathematics Award
Michael Orwin
William Tait

Thomas O. Walton Prize in Mathematics
Allegra Allgeier

Cooper Prize in Physics
Benjamin Behrens
Valentina Harding
Alexis Periman
Justin Seablom
Ethan Tucker

SOCIAL SCIENCES DIVISION

Departmental Prize in Anthropology and Sociology
Paige Chung
Shadaijah Grandberry-Payton
Aliyah Jamaluddin
Elizabeth Munoz
Emiliana Renuart

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Economics
Andrew Parsons
Evelyn Wagner

C. Wallace Lawrence Prize in Business
Jessica Penny
Scott Roberts
Garrett Swanson

Irene and S. Kyle Morris Prize
Zachary Ray

William G. Howard Memorial Prize
Sarah Gerendasy

Department of Psychology First-Year Student Prize
Shannon Carley

PHYSICAL EDUCATION DIVISION

Division of Physical Education Prize
Laura Hanselman
Daniel Henry

Maggie Wardle Prize
Elizabeth Munoz

COLLEGE AWARDS

Gordon Beaumont Memorial Award
Cydney Martell
Rumsha Sajid
Cindy Xiao

Henry and Inez Brown Prize
Alexandrea Ambs
Emily Good
David Vanderkloot

Virginia Hinkelman Memorial Award
Sarafina Milianti
Sep’tisha Riley

Heyl Scholars – Class of 2020
Andrew Backer
Matthew Giguere
Josephine Hosner
Danielle Janowicz
Samuel Meyer
Hannah Pittman
Stephanie Rauhoff
Subi Thakali
Dustin Tibbetts

Posse Scholars – Class of 2020
Alejandro Aguirre
Alexandro Cruz
Kahira Embry
Moses Gonzalez
Denise Jackson
Trevor Loduem-Jackson
Daniel Mota-Villegas
Angela Pastor
Enrique Robles
Gabrielle Walton Schwartz

National Merit Scholar – Class of 2020
Ehren White

Voynovich Scholars
Elise Houcek
Susmitha Narisetty

Alpha Lambda Delta – Class of 2019
Alpha Lambda Delta is a national honor society that recognizes excellence in academic achievement during the first college year. To be eligible for membership, students must earn a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 and be in the top 20 percent of their class during the first year.

Logan Beck
Benjamin Behrens
Brigette Berke
Riya Bhuyan
Shannon Carley
Iffat Chowdhury
Valentina Cordero
Austin Cramer
Adelaine Dancer
Matthew Flotemersch
Amanda Gardner
Joshua Gibson
Dominic Gonzalez
Martin Hansknecht
Sophia Hill
Kento Hirakawa
Alysia Homminga
Maria Katrantzi
Zoe Larson
Samuel Maddox
Kathryn Martin
Kevin McCarty
Tamara Morrison
Elizabeth Munoz
Cayla Patterson
Alexis Periman
Victorialyn Regan
Danna Robles-Garcia
Orly Rubinfeld
Danielle Sarafian
Jenna Sherman
Simran Singh
Grant Stille
Sarah Whitfield

ENLIGHTENED LEADERSHIP AWARDS

Performing Arts: Music
Madeleine Armstrong
Zachary Colburn
Adam Decker
Jennalise Ellis
Stanton Greenstone
Audrey Honig
Isabel McLaughlin
Katherine Miller-Purrenhage
Natalie Minzey
Julia Riddle
Margaret Roethler

MICHIGAN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION (MIAA) AWARDS

The following Hornet teams earned the 2015-2016 MIAA Team GPA Award. Team members achieved a 3.3 or better grade point average for the entire academic year.

Men’s Baseball
Men’s Cross Country
Men’s Golf
Men’s Soccer
Men’s Swim & Dive
Men’s Tennis
Women’s Basketball
Women’s Golf
Women’s Lacrosse
Women’s Soccer
Women’s Softball
Women’s Swim & Dive
Women’s Tennis
Women’s Volleyball

MIAA ACADEMIC HONOR ROLL

The MIAA each year honors students at member colleges who achieve distinction in the classroom and in athletic competition. Students need to be a letter winners in a varsity sport and maintain at minimum 3.5 grade point average for the entire school year.

Cheyenne Allyn-White
Alexandrea Ambs
Georgie Andrews
Ryan Andrusz
Hunter Angileri
Alberto Ayala
Sonal Bahl
Chase Baysdell
Matthew Benedettini
Jacob Bonifacio
Kennedy Boulton
Riley Boyd
Andrew Bremer
Allie Brodsky
Molly Brueger
Ian Bunker
Matthew Burczyk
Alexander Cadigan
Charles Carson
Madeleine Chilcote
Jack Clark
Elizabeth Clevenger
Anthony Convertino
Austin Cramer
Anna Dairaghi
Christina Dandar
Elan Dantus
Roger Darling
Sabrina Dass
Steven Davis
Eric De Witt
Dana DeVito
Mikayla Doepker
Guillermo Dominguez-Garcia
Nathan Donovan
Erin DuRoss
Tristyn Edsall
Emma Eisenbeis
Michael Faust
Anders Finholt
John Fowler
Christopher Francis
Maria Franco
Brett Garwood
Cory Gensterblum
Joseph Giacalone
Jacob Gilhaus
Anthony Giovanni
Rachel Girard
Beau Godkin
Emily Good
Monica Gorgas
Mya Gough
Andre Grayson
Garrett Guthrie
Alyssa Heitkamp
Daniel Henry
Kaiya Herman-Hilker
Kyle Hernandez
Mathew Holmes-Hackerd
Allia Howard
Nicole Huff
Briana Huisken
Claire Jensen
Katherine Johnson
Marylou Johnson
Claire Kalina
Maria Katrantzi
Greg Kearns
Samuel Kepes
Benjamin Kileen
Dahwi Kim
William Kirchen
Ian Kobernick
Emily Kozal
Matthew Krinock
Stefan Leclerc
Rosella LoChirco
Nicholas Ludka
Cydney Martell
Eliza McCall
Katherine McKibbon
Branden Metzler
Joshua Miller
Suzanne Miller
Madison Moote
Zachary Morales
Elizabeth Munoz
Dylan Padget
James Paprocki
Cayla Patterson
John Patton
Bradley Popiel
Nicole Prentice
Zachary Prystash
Erin Radermacher
Zachary Ray
Phillip Ritchie
Scott Roberts
Justin Roop
Matthew Ryder
Paige Sambor
Aaron Schwark
Jacob Scott
Justin Seablom
Anorah Seita
Sharif Shaker
Chase Shelbourne
Alec Sherrill
Gabrielle Shimko
Grace Smith
Adam Snider
Kathleen Sorensen
Sydney Spring
Vethania Stavropoulos
Grant Stille
Shelby Suseland
Matthew Suter
Jacob Sypniewski
Jack Tagget
William Tait
Emma Tardiff
Benjamin Toledo
Alyana Tomlinson
Zachary Tornow
Matt Turton
Eva Ugelow
Madison Vallan
Kaela Van Til
Joshua Vance
David Vanderkloot
Zachary VanFaussien
Mitchell VanKoevering
Travis Veenhuis
John Vinson
Sidney Wall
Jacob Wasko
John Wehr
Alex White
Madeline Woods
Brent Yelton
Julie Zabik
Matthew Zhiss

Economics and Business Instructor Receives Lucasse Award

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Kalamazoo College announced today that Senior Instructor of Economics and Business Chuck Stull will receive the 2018 Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching, awarded to a K faculty member in recognition of outstanding classroom teaching.

Lucasse Fellowship Winner Chuck Stull
Kalamazoo College announced Wednesday, Sept. 18, that Senior Instructor of Economics and Business Chuck Stull will receive the 2018 Florence J. Lucasse Lectureship for Excellence in Teaching.

Stull joined the Business and Economics department in 1996, and has taught courses such as principles of economics, industrial organization, law and economics and business statistics. Before coming to K, he taught at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Wells College, Western Michigan University and Michigan State University. He studied economics as an undergraduate at Northwestern University and as a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Since 2002, Stull has been the director of the Kalamazoo College Center for Economic Education, which works to improve the teaching of economics at all levels. The center is a part of the National Council on Economic Education (NCEE). He has led workshops on economics for K-12 teachers and has published several pieces on teaching economics. He is currently working on a textbook, “Economics for Global Travelers.”

Outside of the classroom, Stull enjoys spending time with family, kayaking, photography, sketching, blogging and traveling internationally. He spent the 2014-15 academic year in Salamanca, Spain, and Oxford, UK, and the 2006-07 academic year in Montevideo, Uruguay. Other trips have included visits to South Africa, Dubai, Turkey, China, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico.

A ceremony to officially confer the lectureship for excellence in teaching will occur in the spring term.

 

Convocation Launches New Academic Year

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UPDATE: A chance of rain is pushing Convocation indoors this afternoon, Sept. 6. Join us in the gymnasium at Anderson Athletics Center.

Kalamazoo College will begin the 2017-18 academic year at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 6, with its annual Convocation ceremony for new students.

Convocation International Flag Ceremony at Kalamazoo College
Symbolic of the sustained presence and significant impact of an international focus on campus, Kalamazoo College enacts an international flag ceremony at Convocation, honoring the flags of the countries from which students come.

K will welcome 455 first-year students including 13 transfer students and 21 visiting international students at Convocation. New students come from 28 states including California, Texas, Illinois and New York, and 13 countries including Vietnam, China, Jamaica and Greece. Students of color from the U.S. make up more than 35 percent of the incoming class. Twenty percent of the incoming class will be the first in their families to attend college.

President Jorge G. Gonzalez, Provost Michael McDonald, Vice President for Student Development and Dean of Students Sarah Westfall, Chaplain Elizabeth Candido ’00, faculty, staff and student leaders will welcome new students and their families. Convocation will conclude with new students signing the Matriculation Book.

Erin Mazzoni ’07, the president of K’s Alumni Association Executive Board, will deliver the keynote address. At K, Mazzoni was an economics and business major with an environmental studies concentration. She played on the women’s tennis team and served as its captain. Her study abroad experience was at the London School of Economics.

Life after K has taken Mazzoni to London, New York and Washington, D.C., to pursue a career in finance. Through connections and friendships built with alumni while a student at K, Mazzoni joined the high-yield research group at Jefferies & Co. shortly after graduating. She next worked within the corporate finance team at Tory Burch, also supporting the Tory Burch Foundation, which promotes female entrepreneurship.

Mazzoni currently works at Under Armour in Baltimore, supporting the company’s product and merchandising teams. She also serves as a member of K’s Board of Trustees.